Carpet Bowls
Encyclopedia
Carpet Bowls is a variant of Indoor Bowls. It is played particularly in the South of England, although it is played at League and County level in East Anglia
, the Midlands
and the North. The term "carpet" is not helpful in this respect, as many people upon hearing of the game assume it is a trivial indoor game for the home.
There is a formal English Carpet Bowls Association, and although the ECBA is relatively small, the game itself is played in many village halls up and down the country. Around the turn of the century there were more than 1,000 clubs. In accordance with the village hall background, the bowls mat is smaller at around 30 x 6 feet, and the inventors clearly paid less emphasis upon trying to maintain all the rules of the Mother game. For instance, Carpet Bowls dispenses with the notion of a 'ditch' and various sometimes complex rules associated with it.
Bowls are delivered from an 18 inches (457.2 mm) space at the front of the carpet and must avoid an 18-inch circular block placed in the centre of the carpet. The Jack is 2.5 inches in diameter (the same as for Indoor Bowls) and is placed on a centre line 3-6 feet from the end of the carpet.
Aficionados of Carpet Bowls are keen to point out that, because a bowl must be delivered within the 18-inch delivery area whilst not standing on the carpet, it is rare for players to attempt to "break up the head" (attempting to spoil the end by delivering a forceful bowl that knocks the bowls and jack randomly). Carpet Bowlers regard this as a point of superiority over Indoor Bowls and Short Mat Bowls, as Carpet Bowls is really a game that relies heavily on the art of quality drawing woods and less on power and fortune.
Bedfordshire
, Cambridgeshire
, Essex
, Hertfordshire
, Norfolk
and Suffolk
compete each year in the Eastern Counties Championship and also play each in an Eastern Counties League. Cambridgeshire have been the most successful side in recent years. The National Championships take place each in year in Blackpool
, though they were formerly held in Rotherham, Yorkshire.
Bedfordshire
The clubs that participate in the Bedfordshire County Carpet Bowls League (Premier Division and Division One) are: Barton, Billington, Clophill, Cople, Cotton End, Gravenhurst, Haynes, Lilley, Maulden, Slip End, Toddington, Turvey and Wootton.
Essex
Essex County Carpet Bowls Association was formed in 1983. The original founding clubs included: Bradwell on Sea, Elmdon, Fyfield, Goldhanger, Great Easton, Great Horkesley, Purleigh, Stisted, Tolleshunt Knights, Weeley & Wrabness. Of these, Fyfield, Purleigh & Stisted are definitely still going strong.
Today, there are over 100 clubs competing for the Essex County league and cup championships.
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
, the Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
and the North. The term "carpet" is not helpful in this respect, as many people upon hearing of the game assume it is a trivial indoor game for the home.
There is a formal English Carpet Bowls Association, and although the ECBA is relatively small, the game itself is played in many village halls up and down the country. Around the turn of the century there were more than 1,000 clubs. In accordance with the village hall background, the bowls mat is smaller at around 30 x 6 feet, and the inventors clearly paid less emphasis upon trying to maintain all the rules of the Mother game. For instance, Carpet Bowls dispenses with the notion of a 'ditch' and various sometimes complex rules associated with it.
Bowls are delivered from an 18 inches (457.2 mm) space at the front of the carpet and must avoid an 18-inch circular block placed in the centre of the carpet. The Jack is 2.5 inches in diameter (the same as for Indoor Bowls) and is placed on a centre line 3-6 feet from the end of the carpet.
Aficionados of Carpet Bowls are keen to point out that, because a bowl must be delivered within the 18-inch delivery area whilst not standing on the carpet, it is rare for players to attempt to "break up the head" (attempting to spoil the end by delivering a forceful bowl that knocks the bowls and jack randomly). Carpet Bowlers regard this as a point of superiority over Indoor Bowls and Short Mat Bowls, as Carpet Bowls is really a game that relies heavily on the art of quality drawing woods and less on power and fortune.
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
, Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
and Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
compete each year in the Eastern Counties Championship and also play each in an Eastern Counties League. Cambridgeshire have been the most successful side in recent years. The National Championships take place each in year in Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
, though they were formerly held in Rotherham, Yorkshire.
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
The clubs that participate in the Bedfordshire County Carpet Bowls League (Premier Division and Division One) are: Barton, Billington, Clophill, Cople, Cotton End, Gravenhurst, Haynes, Lilley, Maulden, Slip End, Toddington, Turvey and Wootton.
Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
Essex County Carpet Bowls Association was formed in 1983. The original founding clubs included: Bradwell on Sea, Elmdon, Fyfield, Goldhanger, Great Easton, Great Horkesley, Purleigh, Stisted, Tolleshunt Knights, Weeley & Wrabness. Of these, Fyfield, Purleigh & Stisted are definitely still going strong.
Today, there are over 100 clubs competing for the Essex County league and cup championships.